The Ordres of Chyvalry
In the recent four decades, there has been a considerable interest arise concerning medieval life and chivalrous, knightly concepts. So much so, that countless clubs, groups, and societies have been formed to re-create or reenact various aspects of medieval life. Arguably, the most notable is the Society for Creative Anacronism, or SCA. This organization, along with it's various offshoots have over the years become an haven for intellectuals and enthusiasts of every stripe.
Unfortunately, owing to the open nature of such groups, through no fault of their own, a considerable amount of the culture of European medieval life has been lost or discarded. I refer specifically to the military, christian, chivalrous orders. In America, we have been conditioned over this same time span to 'do our own thing'. As a result, many of these organisations have become dominated by practitioners of the anti-christian, pagan world view.
That being said, I would not even begin to suggest that organisations such as the SCA change policies in regard to which sub-groups to allow or disallow. What I propose, is that christians who share interests in these types of things begin to unify and create clubs and groups of their own. This is not to be done in an elitist fashion, but rather to preserve our spiritual heritage and to create a more tangible presence in the community.
These groups need to capitalize on Biblical truth and a lifestyle of piety, promoting the ideals of high honor, and integrity. These are qualities that are, unfortunately, understated in western society. While promoting, high ideals, we need to identify and spotlight the snares and pitfalls that caused the failure of historical christian military orders, and seek to avoid them. In light of this, it would not be possible in the strictest sense to reenact historical orders, but rather create a new, modern era of chivalry.
In keeping with the Biblical maxim, to "be in the world, but not of the world", what I envision is not clubs designed to supplant others, but to integrate with them. This is only to be done to the point where sound Biblical doctrine is not compromised. There are many in this community who are stalwart in their pagan views, but also by many who are still openly seeking their path in life. By associating with them, we can hope to reach them for Christ. Remember, the apostle Paul associated with the epicurian philosophers, and was able to engage in meaningful discourse. He did not win them all, but he won more to Christ than he would have had he not bothered at all.
The SCA, and several other organisations provide fertile ground for this, as they are inherently open in scope, and provide only minimal requirements for active participation in sanctioned events. In fact many openly encourage theme-related subgroups. They are found under a myriad of names, such as houses, orders, and clans. The requirements to participate in SCA type activites, generally include annual dues, and safety certifications for inclusion in combative type sporting events. The rules and guidelines of individual groups are typically unique to them and reflect the vision and goals of their founders and members.
This is not to say that any or all organisations must integrate themselves with others. Indeed, there may be instances in which a group may wish to stay separate, but integration does provide inroads into a possibly otherwise unreached community. Having said this, I would be remiss in not cautioning the reader against being overly preachy, or 'bible thumping'. Throughout the past few years, westerners have been singularly turned off by this sort of practice. This is not to say that the gospel should not be spread, but it first needs to be displayed by personal example. This is a concept that seems to be lost in modern christianity. The idea here is to provide an example not from pride, but true scriptural humility. It would require members of these 'holy orders' to conduct themselves with honor and integrity both when in and out of character. It's simple. Follow the Ten Commandments, the Golden Rule, as well as Christ's last, greatest commandment, 'Love thy neighbor as thyself, and love the Lord thy God with all thy heart'.
In so doing, we can hope to reach the lost by creating an environment that is attrative to people. It is much easier to share Jesus with a person who is asking all the right questions. At the same time, it is possible to have fun, while training ourselves to be better christians as well as better people.
It's just a few things to consider.
